Mail box



Oct- 27, 1925- 1,559,031

- c. COY I MAIL BOX Filed March 16. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 H. c. vcow MAIL BOX Filed March 16. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet? I l I l I I I I l I I I I I l I I I I T all whom it may concern: v p

- Be t known thatL ERT 0.00% a Patented Oct. 27, 1925.

1,55 ,031 T DE f h If rrisnnnnircg qi, oricn roaso, LL NOIS.

MA Q

Application filed-March 16, 1922. Serial no. 544,112.

citizen of the United States,-i'esiding in the ;-city of Chicago, in the county of- Cook and the State of Illinois, have invented-certain i'iewandnseful Improvements in Mail Boxes,

' of which-tlie'following is a 'speciiication,

l reference being had ""to the accompanying for automaticallysignalling the deposit of -1nail by the carrier, and having otherconfeatures of Construction shownand-described door through which the mailis-to be withdrawings, forming a, part thereof.

The purpose of thi's'invention 1s to provide an lmproved form and construction of a mall receiving box adapted 'forconvenient withdrawalofmail matter deposited therein and veniences. It consists iii-the elements and as indicated in the claims.

In the drawings 1 Figure 1 is a perspective View of a mail box embodying this invention, showing the drawn standing open."

*Figure 2 s a perspective view of a sup- "plenientary' detachable fixture containing aux'ihary elements, as a'speakmgtube and a signalling connection comprising a push "button. v e I v 1 F ure 3 is an lnter or'pe-rspective vlewof' a modified formof this supplementaryiix' ture without the speaking tube connection.

' Figure 4 is front elevation of the mail box,

parts being broken away to show interior features. j 1

Figure 5 is a partly sectional side elevation of the mailbox for showing an exteriorly "applied paper-holding arm, section being made in verticalfore-and-aft plane through the upper part of the box including the supplementary fixture'at the top.

Figure6 is a sect'on' at the Figure'5.-

Referri line, 66, on

' designates an oblong-shaped receptacle constituting the mail -box,the interior chamber thereof being designated-by the numeral 2;

ng to the drawings, the numeral 1,-

there is an inwardly andupwardly extending mail-receiving ledge, 10, which'might be described as a false bottom for the receptacle chamber, and which terminates extending door, 3, by riveting or other suitable meansgi upwardly, asseen at 11, the upper edgebeing' A designedly in contactwith the; back wall of the receptacle when the dooris closed, so that all mail matter droppedthrough the slot will with certainty be lodged upon the ledge in front of its upwardly extending rear part, 11. v The purpose of this is that when the door, 4, is' opened, the-entire mail'matter which has been deposited will be carried out with the door upon the-ledge and easily accessible for removals To prevent letters which are entered through the slot of becom- 1ng engaged behind the margin of the front wall at the vertical edge of the door opening oppositethe hinged side of the-door,-which would create liability of-mutilation by-the upwardly extending rear pa'rt,-11, of-the ledge in the opening of the door, there is provided-an inclined plate, 13, secured to the side wall of the receptacle, extending inwardly overhanging the ledge, 10, and serv ingto deflect any mail matter whichfalls at that side, inwardly onto the ledge and past "the edge of the door openinga It may be understood that the door laps upon the margin of thedooropening and is stopped thereby in the closing movement, as well as by the enc'ounterof the rear upper edge of the part, 11, with the back wallpAt- 15 are shown apertures at the lower part of the door through which the interior may be in spected to ascertain whether there is mail therein. e

Fastened to one side-of the receptacle, 1,

"by a screw, 16, is a U-shaped bracket, 17, in' which there is pivotally mounted an upward ly-extending rod, 18, held in engagement with the receptacle-1, by means of a spring, 19, and constituting means for holding news papers, magazines and the like, which are too bulky for convenient insertion througlthemail slot. 1

The receptacle is designedto be secured to a wall, and for that purpose screw apertures,

22, are shown in the back, 14.

The drawings show mounted upon the top of the receptacle, 1, a removable fixture somewhat of the nature of a casing, 26,

which is secured to the receptacle by headed bolts or screws, 27, engaged non-rotatably with the bottom of the casing, 26, as

receptacle, 1, and thereby inaccessible tor releasing the bolts and removing the fixture,

26, except upon unlockingand opening-the' door, 4, of the receptacle. Additional securingscrews, 28, similarly-engaged .and mounted non-rotatably in,thebottom of the case. andzsecured by. nuts Within I the-recepta- Pole rare desirably employedato' secure .the fix- ;tU.'I'e,;26, atterflit has been slid into-place along-thea'len'gth of the slots,'28. .Thelfix- 'ture-or; basing; 26, is designed for :accoinmo dating a signal connection eon connections and q operatigng' 1 means. for; giving; asignal when [mail is deposited; in the receptacle. For this purpose in-leadi;ng;wires -,-'29,'29, of 'si'gnal operatingieleetric circuits are connected ;-to. contactsprigngs, 31,. and :32, secured to the top-Wall 10f: the receptacle :{UDClterminatingi normally out oflcontact' with each other, oneoverhangingthe other as seen ati33'gand a push button, 34,-; is provided,cearriedaon the end of a spring?zaran,= 35, which extends off. from.themppenedge of;the flap, 2%, at :one side of the :receptacle, this :buttoinstanding. normally when the flap is- -;closed, proximate to: and it may be;inwcontact, withzthe lower one of the springeontacts, 31, so that upon the initial 2 opening movement of the flap, -24:,.tl16r1l0t1i1tr011, 84, will push the-conspring, 32, and ;;cause the ,--signal :to-ibe sounded. YTheispring arm, 3 5, 1s;des 1ga1ei'dly asuflicientlyfiexi-ble toipermit the flap, 24-35150 closed position.

To insure that aletter cannot be. deposited .past the flap .without-asoundiingz the signal, "theclower-yinargin 0f"tl1e;:SlOt,,8, isitolded inwardly forming a lip, 8 over Whichft-he j flap: swings, and :from above which itumust be'suutng inwardly the Width of i-helip;-in order to. admit the thinnestletterbrwcard; p and in'thisdistance of opening movement of .the'flap, the signal cire'uit 'is closed -in".the manner described.

Tllhe'signal utilizedin the above described manner will. most conveniently and kdesirably be in the usual dooi--bell bithe house, i and it iswa matter of convenience to inount :r'the;pushbutton for. operating the door bell for its ordinary 131111301865011"tllB'fiXtllTQf-QG,

and thereby utilize the switch and Wiring Lconnections which serve'jthe purpose of the automatic signalling of deposit of mail. For this.purpose, the.,,front of the fixture, 26, is provided with a push button opening at 30, and at the inner side of the front Wall of the said fixture there is fulcrumed a bell crank :lever, d1, whose upstanding arm carries the button, 42, protruding at the opening 80, While its rearwardly extending ar-m carries. the. terminal boss-43, which I, overhangslthe upper contact fibrigng, 31. :-A spring, 44, under the ,rearwardly-extending anm holds-the push button normally protraded [and the terminal, 43, on1y -.j-ustin-c0nta'ctwith; the spring, -31; without (depressing the latter; but: npon ainthnust iot (the; 5 push button the-contact spring,'31,; is; depressed into contact Withtl1e;spring,..32,- closing the eircuit andoperating the door bell.

' Then the, hOllSGiilS" equippedwith a;spealcingtube, it is convenient to loeate-the-speaking tubemouth-piece in proximity-With 'the signalling button, and -torthatnpurpose the --frontwall.ofzthe fixture, 26, isqamvided with i the speaking tube inouthpiece shown at 40. This Will beomitted when -not needed and the fixture Will thereby-take adiffercnt I torin shown in Figure .3.

I claim 1. -A mail receptacle;.haivingsat the gtpper part a mail slot andthaving. a vertica'lly :hinged horizontally and outwardly..swingr ingvdoor provided with i aninwardly; apro- Z ejecting ledgeapositionedfor! lodgment therewon of finatter entered thnoughthenslot, the receptacle having at the side of its chamber proximate.to-=whiclr the :free edge of the -:.door'.closes,: an inelinedguide plateitor the i 1 material enteredthrough the slot sloping -down; away from that sideof the .ehamber past :the; proximate ed-ge o-ftthe ;door--opening, for preventing encounter of said anzm 1 I ten. with lthe. edge .of. thesdeor openingI-in the i 1 opening movement lot-the door.

'2. The coin-binatimrwvitlr a inail-reeepta- K .2016 l having a uertieallyihinged .-L1orizontally swinging idoor, means -:oarr-iedby. the .-.d'eor extending into the :receptacle it oihreceimigng mail. :dropped :theregtnto, of .a deflecting plate carried by the Wall of the receptacle adja- I centaone side and-adjacentthe free-1e ge of 1 the. :door Efor deflecting.-1nail -past isaideedge of; the deon ontoftheinail.-receimngauember. I

. 'Iintestimon y whereoigl I have heneunto set any handaat Chicago, 1I1linois-, this-.154th day of March, 1922.

' HERBERT C, (JOY. 

